If approved, a new plan may increase your electric rates slightly, starting May 1st.

At the latest city council workshop, the Electric Director for Public Works, Mark Curin, presented a proposal to raise rates by two percent each year for the next three years.

The proposition comes as the $22 million Naperville Smart Grid Initiative is underway, where new digital smart meters are being installed in homes across the city.

Curin also talked about a new alternative payment option for electric utility customers – “Time of Use.” They can choose to pay a rate based on when they use electricity, saving money if consuming most of their electricity during certain “off-peak” hours.

Curin also discussed “a demand response initiative,” an optional plan that allows residents to adjust their thermostats by three to five degrees during certain times each month to cut down on the bill.

Residents can also opt to have the city automatically regulate their thermostats or opt out of this plan altogether. Curin expects to draft an ordinance and seek the council’s approval of that ordinance in December.